How to Undo a Genius
by PrimaryColoredExpressionist
Summary: A mysterious new, and weird, villain is out to destroy the Fantastic 4! What will our favorite group of superheroes do when they discover Reed is losing one of his most valuable powers? No not his ability to stretch, his intelligence!
1. Chapter 1: Message of Mystery

Chapter One: Message of Mystery

Reed Richards was a very busy man. He had a machine to be completed for the government by Friday that he hadn't even started on, new advanced equipment for the team that was in need of testing, an idea to better his friend's life that he needed to do something about before it was forgotten, and these were just the things at the top of his seemingly endless list. So why did this mysterious psycho who he had never heard of before have to choose now to put his disturbing plan into action? Reed sighed as he took the dreaded message from the spot where he had placed it since finding moments ago at the site of the latest problem in the city, which had evidently been a set up, and went to discuss its' contents with the rest of the Fantastic Four.

He entered what he supposed could be considered the 'living room' of the Baxter Building finding Sue, Ben, and Johnny, his family, busying themselves in ways that reflected how vastly different they all were. His best friend's rocky exterior sat sprawled out on the couch, his large feet resting on the table, watching a football game that he yelled at every so often, while his brother-in-law pressed the buttons on a hand held video game determined to beat his old high score, and his beautiful wife wrote something he assumed was work related into a notebook. It was a rare peaceful afternoon that he would have to interrupt despite how much he yearned not to do so.

Clearing his throat was all it took to bring all eyes from what they were focused on to Reed. Sue looked up from her notebook, Ben turned the volume down looking away from the TV, and Johnny pressed the pause button on his game. This was the power of being a leader, although Reed had never wanted to be one. He was much more content to sit back and let others take charge a luxury which, as Mr. Fantastic, he no longer had.

"I'm afraid we have a message," he told them before reading aloud:

_**Hello Gentlemen and Lady!**_

_**How are you this fine, fine day? If you're reading this then I'm absolutely terrific, but if you're not then I still am because that means some blood gets to be spilled today at 2 o'clock! And, you know, I have a thing for blood spilling! **_

_**There is a grand opening to the new Howards and Tysons Co. and hundreds of people are going to be there. You must know where it is because it's right across the street from where you found this very message. If you aren't there when they cut the ribbon, then I can assure you no one who attended the opening will be going home alive. So be there or beware! Ha-ha-ha!**_

_**Love,**_

_**M.O.M**_

_**A.K.A. Man of Mystery**_

After he finished 'reeding' Reed looked up to see the disturbed faces of his team. "He's crazy," Johnny commented after a moment of silence. "You bet he's crazy, 'M.O.M.'? You gotta be kiddin' me!" Ben scoffed. "I know it sounds insane, but for the sake of those people, we have to go to that opening," Reed said. Four pairs of eyes turned toward a clock on the wall. They had less than a half an hour…


	2. Chapter 2: The Man in the Shadows

How to Undo a Genius

Chapter Two: The Man in the Shadows

A dark figure in a lab coat checks his watch just as the phone in his pocket starts to vibrate. "Do you see them?" a deep voice on the other end asks. The man in the shadows takes out the photograph he had been given two weeks earlier and scans the massive crowd for anyone resembling its' subjects. Running his fingers through the thinning hair atop his head, he answers, "No," his voice a mixture of relief and nervousness at what their absence meant for him. "Its 1:58," the deep voice says, "they have two minutes. If they don't show up, you know what you must do." "Yes," he replies, unable to say anything more before the voice continues on, "And the machine? You have it with you?" "Yes," he says again, "Excellent," his supposed 'boss' compliments him, "I trust you know the plan, should they make an appearance. And if they don't, we will try this again."

Deep Voice hangs up, leaving the balding scientist to his own thoughts. He looks down at the tiny machine in his hands; his life's work, his _unsuccessful _life's work. When he had first started out he'd meant to build a machine that could better the lives of people. Help those with disabilities to live normally. _So much for that, _he thought. He checked his watch though he already knew what it would probably read. Glancing at the dreaded time for only a moment, he looked up again at all of the people. All of the blood he would soon have on his hands. Taking a deep breath, he prepares himself to press the button that would end it all for every man, every woman, and every child here. His eyes gaze out at them once more as he rubs the button with his thumb, and then, at the last second, he sees them.

Double checking with his photo, there is no doubt these four are the ones he's been waiting for. Following Deep Voice's instructions he safely destroys and disposes of the detonating device. His hands somehow feel much lighter without it in his possession, but now he must follow through with the plan to 'undo a genius' as Deep Voice had called it time and time again.

Removing the message from the pocket of his lab coat, he skims over the purposely demented words for the third time since they were given to him yesterday. He refolds the paper and approaches the most innocent creature he can see: a small girl, no older than 6 or 7 years. "Hello there," he says in as friendly a voice as he can manage. "Hi," her small voice responds. The man smiles and kneels down, handing her the paper. "Would you mind giving this to my friends over there?" he asks, gesturing at his targets. "Sure," she answers and immediately turns to deliver it, no questions asked. _Ah, the beauty of children, _he thinks as he watches her hand the paper to the blonde haired woman from afar. He can't help but stare for a few moments at the monstrous rock man, but it is on the brunette that his eyes rest. His machine had made it through all of the tests and now it was time for its' first real job.


	3. Chapter 3: Surprise Attack

Watching with anxious eyes as the ribbon is cut, the FF prepare themselves for the worst. Was the crowd around them about to die? Would they be able to save them? Who and where was M.O.M.? Questions…Endless questions… As the slow minutes ticked by and the 2 o'clock hour was pushed further and further into the past the safety of those surrounding them seemed more and more likely. Relief was just barely starting to set in when a young girl approached Sue.

"This is for you," she explained, handing the sloppily folded note she had been clutching in her hands to the Invisible Woman. Sue barely had the opportunity to say thank you to her, much less ask any questions, before the girl disappeared into the thick sea of people.

She looked from Johnny to Ben to Reed before cautiously opening it. The team all gathered around to read over her shoulder:

_**Greetings!**_

_**I wish I could say I'm surprised you're reading this, but I can't. As I expected, you all have risen to the challenge, and what a challenge it will be! I'm on the edge of my seat just thinking about it! **_

_**You're not going to get anywhere by just standing around, so pay close attention. First I will tell you if you fail to follow my instructions there will be grave consequences, and not just for you. If you care at all about the lives of innocent people (which obviously you do or you wouldn't be reading this or standing at the opening or paying attention to what's in these parenthesis or wondering if I'm ever going to stop…) and the lives of those you claim to love you will do exactly as I say!**_

_**Now, I want you all to split up into fourths, (that's right I want you all by yourselves) and I want you each to walk exactly**_ ---

That's as far as they could get before they were suddenly being clobbered. It didn't take Reed more than a second to figure out the message had been nothing more than a distraction for the benefit of a surprise attack, but there's nothing they could do about it now. He had no idea what was pounding down on him or any of them for that matter, and, despite attempts to fight back, he soon couldn't think about anything except the pain that was dominating every part of his body.

Just as he fell to his knees, he realized how incredibly hot the object had been. It was like he was literally melting as his rubber-like mass oozed and stretched out of proportion. Finally, the smoldering object came down on the top of his head once more and he was unable to remain conscious any longer.


	4. Chapter 4: Awakening

**Note: Sorry this chapter's a little on the short side, I haven't had very much time to write lately. Please review!**

_Oh God….Where am I? _Johnny Storm thought as his heavy eyelids slowly lifted. He was on his back gazing up at the dark night sky, the stars few and with great spaces in between them. Sitting up as quickly as his aching muscles would allow, he looked around to find the rest of the FF knocked out on the pavement as he had been just moments ago.

Their faces were bruised and cut; even Rocky appeared to be chipped. Absently, Johnny wondered if it was possible to draw blood from stone. He would have laughed at his little joke, but he didn't like the way that they were laying there completely out of it. His heart beat quickened as he thought of the possibilities…

Sue is the closest to him, but when he tries to get up he stumbles. _They must have really done a number on me, _he thinks bringing on a slightly startling realization. He can't remember when or why he blacked out, just that they'd been at some kind of opening when…when…when what? Johnny rises forcing himself to get up this time. He hurries to his sister shaking her shoulder as he calls out her name over and over hoping beyond hope she's alright.

It takes a little while, but eventually she stirs and comes to. "Johnny? What happened?" she asks, confused. "I wish I knew," he replies, a wave of relief washing over him as she sits up. She groans in response to the resulting pain as her eyes search frantically for Reed and Ben. She spies Ben easily and, not without difficulty, they make their way over and wake the big guy. Even though waking up Ben is always a handful whether he's been knocked out or he's just sleeping, Johnny thinks getting themselves over there may have been harder. He didn't want to imagine what tomorrow morning would hold for him.

Once Sunshine's with the living they gather that despite his solid exterior he's in just as much pain as they are and, just like them, he has no memory whatsoever as to what went down before the black out. Eventually they get him on his gigantic feet to give Mr. Fantastic his wake up call, only to discover there is no Mr. Fantastic to give it to. Ten minutes of miserable searching later Sue's starting to get worried and truthfully so are Johnny and Ben. Where was Reed? Johnny had seen him when he'd first woken up, hadn't he?


	5. Chapter 5: Taking Out the Trash

How to Undo a Genius

Chapter Five: Taking out the Trash

Reed awoke to find himself in one place he never thought he'd be again: inside of a dumpster. The nauseating smell and lumpy, uneven ground were all unwelcome reminders of the brutality of bullies to helpless nerds such as he had been. He reaches upward and pushes against the grimy lid until it swings over to reveal the clear night sky. Sitting up eagerly, he takes the cool, crisp air into his lungs in long refreshing gulps as he climbs out, a task which was much less of a challenge than it had been in his childhood.

Once on his feet, he checks himself for evidence of the attack that had caused him to lose consciousness, but surprisingly finds none. As explosive as the incident had been, it made no sense for the assailants to simply throw him into a dumpster completely unharmed…Unless _he _wasn't their main concern…

His eyes dart about his surroundings spying neither Sue, nor Ben or Johnny. Although he was seemingly unharmed, he feared the others may not have been so lucky. Mr. Fantastic begins to scour the area for them just as a dull aching in the back of his head makes itself present. He writes it off as something to be expected after the massive blows he had received, and continues with the task at hand; completely oblivious to what is really beginning to take place in his remarkable mind.

The scientist who had been at the opening in the early afternoon is back at his lab now, monitoring his machine which had just been activated moments before. Everything seemed to be working what Deep Voice would consider perfectly; the information was being drained and stored at a steady rate which wouldn't be detectable for quite awhile, and by the time anyone began to suspect anything, it would be too late.

His worn out chair squeaks as he takes a seat and he fidgets uncomfortably waiting for news from Deep Voice. He holds the phone in his sweaty hands, looking down at it with a very mixed expression. No, thankfully he hadn't had to murder anyone today, but the relief in that was growing less and less significant as he set his boss's plan in motion.

Vibrations from the phone startled him out of his thoughts, and he could finally deliver the news that he knew the person on the other end wanted to hear. Unfortunately for him, the person on the other end was not going to tell him what he wanted to hear. He would not be getting a cent of the payment he had been promised until the entire 'job' was completed, and the genius that was Reed Richards was no more.


	6. Chapter 6: Searching

How to Undo a Genius

How to Undo a Genius

Chapter Six: Searching…

Ben looked on with a 'grimm' expression as Sue and Johnny led the way right back to the place where they had all woken up an hour ago. He would have been right up there with them, but being made of rock had a way of slowing you down. "We've gone through every inch of this place three times already. Egghead ain't here," he said, but even as the words left his non-lips his eyes were skimming over the area, longing to spy something they had somehow missed in their previous searches.

"I know this is going to sound weird coming from me, but he's got a point sis," Johnny told her carefully. He of all people could tell when his sister was close to freaking out, and it wasn't something anyone wanted to see. He had been an unwilling witness on multiple occasions; actually, he was often the cause. Her fury made an atomic bomb look friendly.

A smirk was playing on Johnny's lips when Sue turned to face him. It disappeared quickly, but not quickly enough. "What in the world could you possibly find _funny _about all this?!" she asked fiercely. Could he take _anything _seriously? Anything at all?

Sighing loudly, she continued forward to start over. If all three of them had been here Reed should be here too. She tried to find comfort in that thought, but after the third time it was losing its' effect.

"Uh…Suzie?" Ben interrupted, sounding hesitant. "What?" she replied sharply, turning back to face him. "It might be a little easier to find Reed if we know where _you _are." Sue's brow furrowed in confusion as she looked down at herself just in time to see her body reappear underneath her.

"Oh," she muttered partially to herself. She tended to disappear when her emotions flew into overdrive, of course she would disappear now. "Sorry," Sue said a bit louder before continuing on what she was determined to do successfully.

They had just about disturbed everything that could be disturbed around them when, out of the corner of his eye, Ben spied someone coming towards him. "Ben?" the wonderfully familiar voice asked just as he lifted his head. "Reed!" Sue cried ecstatically before he could even get his mouth open.

**Note****: I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever. I should have a lot more time on my hands now, and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I finish it! **


	7. Chapter 7: Slumber

How to Undo a Genius

How to Undo a Genius

Chapter Seven: Slumber

"No one has any recollection of what went on tonight beyond the opening?" Reed questioned, condensing all he had just been told. "Nope," Johnny answered, allowing his lips to pop on the 'p'. They were on their way back to the Baxter Building and, now that everyone was there and accounted for, they were feeling the full effect of the beating they had each been subject to.

"Yeah they really did a number on us," Ben said his words half mumbled. "But why?" Sue wondered aloud, "What did they want?" Reed glanced down at her hand tightly twined with his before answering, "I don't know." He very rarely uttered those words and when he did it bothered him to no end. He needed answers. And he would get them as soon as possible.

Once the four thankfully made it back, they ran a quick check over the building. They found nothing missing or disturbed, no switch flipped that shouldn't be. Whoever they had dealt with today didn't have robbery on their mind.

Reed fully intended to get right to work on the situation, but Sue wouldn't hear of it and the pain in his head was becoming quite a nuisance. In the end, the Fantastic Four fell into a quick and welcomed slumber after a very odd and confusing day.

He was 17 years old resting on a couch in his Aunt's three floor house. A can of his favorite soda in hand, the TV displaying some program that he knew he liked, and he was happy. Footsteps clomped audibly up the stairs. He sat up instantly anticipating whoever was approaching.

"Lucas?" A familiar, soft voice asked before Becky joined him in the room. It made no sense to see her here, but then this whole scene didn't make sense. She sat down beside him and tossed her long hair behind her. He watched closely, not allowing one move she made to go unnoticed. If he had friends he was sure they would tease him about his fixation with this girl.

She suddenly reached out and placed a hand on his face, cupping his cheek in her palm. "What are you doing up here all alone?" Her question told him what some part of him must have already known: he was dreaming.

No answer emerged from his lips before her face turned abruptly angry. "Why are you doing this Luke?!" she demanded, "You know it's wrong! You're not stupid!" She paused, but all he did was blink. This was an unexpected turn to his seemingly pleasant fantasy. "But you are greedy, aren't you? You'll do anything for a few bucks!"

Becky appeared to be finished with her short and sudden outburst, but then she started shaking her head back and forth, silently saying 'no' over and over. Her motions increased in intensity until her hair was whipping with her head. "Becky?" he said, finally finding his voice.

His only reply was a strong shove in the chest that sent him flying off the couch. Jolting awake was his landing, and he looked around his lab as his breathing slowed. "Darn guilty conscience…" the scientist murmured.


	8. Chapter 8: Relaxation

How to Undo a Genius

How to Undo a Genius

Chapter Eight: Relaxation

One week later the Fantastic Four was no closer to uncovering anything about the "Man of Mystery" and they were getting discouraged. They had heard nothing from him since the attack at the opening, as if whatever goal he had had already been achieved. Or maybe he just liked to take his time. A week of silence by no means meant he was finished with them.

"I say we go track him down ourselves for a little heart-to-heart," Ben said, pounding one gigantic hand into the other for emphasis. He didn't like anyone getting the best of them and he was overly eager to return the favor. "We could do that, assuming we knew _where _to look and _who _to look for," Reed put his head in his hands as he finished speaking. It didn't hurt anymore, but something still felt off. He'd asked the others how they felt and they'd all assured him they were back to 100. Ah, well whatever it was it couldn't be serious. He needed to focus on this right now.

Johnny released a long and exaggerated sigh as he stretched his arms. "Yeah… I'm going to go get a burger or something. You guys call me if you figure anything else out." He strode toward the door; Sue rolled her eyes at him. "What? We're obviously not getting anywhere here," he told her. "Fine." She sounded irritated, but as soon as she gave her consent he was gone.

"You know I'm kinda hungry myself…" Ben commented, turning toward Reed and Sue. Sue nodded slowly then replied, "I could use some air." But Reed wasn't ready to leave. Even if they weren't getting anywhere with "M.O.M." he had other tasks to take care of; tasks that he was falling desperately behind on. "You two go ahead," he said. "Oh come on, Egghead! You can't tell me you ain't hungry." "You need a break," Sue agreed sternly. They ganged up on him and Reed didn't have a chance.

Fast-forward twenty minutes and the three of them were seated in a booth at one of Ben's favorite diners. Reed sat with Sue at his side while The Thing took up the seat across from them all by himself. An attractive waitress stopped by their table, her eyes widening at the sight of…well, not so much them but Ben. She smiled kindly as soon as the shock wore off, no doubt knowing who they were. "Hello, my name is Theresa and I'll be taking care of you today. Can I start you off with anything to drink?"

They made their orders, Ben understandably requested a more 'sturdy' cup, and she turned on her heel and left. Sue called Johnny to see if he might want to join them, but he had found himself a date and was already eating. Somehow this information didn't surprise any of them.

Reed was surprised at how easy it was to get his mind off of everything he should be worrying about. In this small diner, joking with his best friend and the woman he loves, he was able to relax more than he ever thought possible under these circumstances. Unfortunately, this temporary ease was about to be shattered in a way none of them could ever expect…

**Note****: Sorry for being so inconsistent with updating. If I could get 3 reviews for this chapter, I would really appreciate it and I'll post the next chapter tomorrow! **


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